Ali Farka Touré (Ali Ibrahim Touré) was born in 1939 in the village of Kanau
on the banks of the River Niger near Gourmararouse, Timbuktu, Mali.
He is a legendary Malian guitarist, perhaps the best known exponent of Mali blues.
Touré was born into a North Malian noble family who trace their roots back to
the Spanish Moors who first crossed the Sahara
to control the salt & gold trade. He was his mother’s tenth son but the
first to survive infancy.
Touré explains, "I lost nine brothers of the same mother and
father. The name I was given was Ali Ibrahim, but it’s a custom in Africa to give a child a strange nickname if you have had
other children that have died." The nickname they chose for Ali was ‘Farka’
meaning donkey (an animal admired for its strength, stubbornness, &
tenacity). When Touré was still an infant, his father died while
serving in the French army. The family moved south along the river to Niafunké,
the village Touré called home for the rest of his life.
Touré was Niafunké’s most famous citizen. Although
internationally known as a musician he regarded himself as a farmer. In Mali, music is
largely the monopoly of the castes of hereditary musicians, the griots, but
Touré came from a noble background. There was no tradition of music in his
family. He said he was "drawn to music by its power."
In 1956, after a chance meeting with the director of Guinea's
National Ballet, Keita Fodeba, Toure made the decision to learn the guitar.
It was a prescient choice, for today Touré is known as the 'Bluesman of Africa' because of his highly distinctive blues style. It is a
cross of the Arabic-influenced Malian sound with American blues reminicent of
bluesmen such as John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins,& Big Joe Williams.
Ali Farka Touré was a true original. He was an exceptional
musician. He transposed the traditional music of his native north Mali. He singlehandedly
brought the style known as desert blues (spanning a plethora of bands like
Etran Finatawa, Tinariwen, Group Inerane, Toumast) to an international audience.
He was a giant of music. He will be missed by family, friends, neighbors, &
fans throughout the world.
He moved back to Niafunké in the 1990s. He was mayor of his home town on the edge of the Sahara.
He also acted as a peacemaker in the Touareg Rebellions of the mid 90s. He died
after a long illness in March 2006, leaving a widow & 11 children.
On The River: Ali Farka Touré – vocals & guitar; Mamaye
Kouyate – ngoni; Amadou Cisse – vocals, calabash, & percussion, with Rory
McLeod - harmonica, & The Chieftains' Seane Keane & Kevin Conneff on
fiddle & bodhran (Irish goatskin drum). There is also a marvelous duet with
saxophonist Steve Williamson for some Afro-R&B.
Ali Farka Touré – The River, World Circuit WCB 017, 1990.
decryption code in comments
Side 1 –
Heygana
Toungere
Tangambara
Ai Bine
Side 2 –
Kenouna
Goydiotodam
Boyrei
Lobo
Instrumental
Ama Maïga's two releases, the 45rpm Ama Maïga et les
Almamy du Melodie Volta & the album
Une Fleche Malienne showcase the works of one the first practitioners of
fusion between traditional Malian kora sounds & modern African pop.
Ama was called ‘the Malian arrow’. The song "Deny
Tologuelen" is a masterpiece of modern African music. The 45 was recorded
in Upper Volta,
Burkina-Faso in 1975.
Ama Maïga et les Almamy du Melodie Volta, Volta Discobel VDB
035, 1976.
decryption code in comments
face A –
Deny Tologuelen
Face B –
Keleya
Ama recorded the one-off Une Fleche Malienne in Paris with a crew of
session musicians. He then dropped off the map, never to be heard from again.
On Une Fleche Malienne, the performers are: Ama Maïga
– vocals; Gerry Malekini – lead guitar; Ringo – rhythm guitar; Kouyate
Soura-kate – kora; Freddo Tete – trumpet; Jimmu Nvondo – tenor saxophone; Mare
Sanogo – djembe; Billy Bangora – bass; & Bava Leo Keita – drums.
(Soura-kate – kora & Mare Sanogo – djembe are African musicians with
extensive discographies. Ringo [Rigobert Bamundele aka Rigo Star] is a hard
working session guitarist with credits on more than 25 releases in Paris &
Africa. Jimmu et Freddo were a horn section popular in Paris at the time of this recording. The twosome, along with the rest of the
session musicians seem to followed Ama into oblivion).
Ama Maïga – Une Fleche Malienne, Disques Sonics 79426, 1984.0
decryption code in comments
Face A -
Keleya
Lannaya-Tilebana
Keleya
Lannaya-Tilebana
Face B -
Souboury
Souboury
Djougou Sago
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
I featured the birth of desert blues with Ali Farka Touré.
Many of the other Tuareg electric blues bands have scattered on the desert
winds. Yet I couldn’t really touch on Mali without including some Mandé
music. The Mandé people, including the Mandinka, Maninka, & Bamana have
produced a vibrant popular music scene alongside traditional folk music. The Mandé
people all claim descent from the legendary warrior Sunjata Keita, who founded
the Mandé Empire in 1235.
Mandé musical tradition began there. Encompassing four
distinct styles of music, Mandé is: hunter's music: music of the jelis (as they
are known in Mali)
or griots, djembe & other drumming; & guitar-based modern music. Mamoudou
Camara plays modern Mandé music that is very entertaining.
Mamoudou Camara dit Bikadi – Sognina, Samba Landouré.
decryption code in comments
Face A –
Sognina
diya Nobon
nata
Konoli
Face B –
Tiew
Bikadi
Alla Ma
Saya
Enjoy,
NØ
The River
ReplyDeleteTTxqgVEaTsXte8wDkGpHAG4gIVo_KeayzH0s-9wS_Qk
VDB 035
QoOmxh9GlQYSxDcOV_FpUEhc_dNGpsFoNAk41xvnjhU
Une Fleche Malienne
HsZiSgsfcmKd_koKo8IZ_x9D-iUKbKsz8oQT8Mup3MU
Sognina
JQ5WJxDJ74_nX3lWZQ9_fgPvY9MbxeMyzQon6Bhg3Rk
Thank YOU!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks
ReplyDelete